Submitted by Office of Sen. Jim Banks
Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) joined President Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday for the signing of the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act into federal law.
This marks a significant achievement as the first bill signed into federal law authored by Sen. Banks.
This bipartisan law, co-led by Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), was the first piece of legislation introduced by Banks to pass the Senate. It passed unanimously on July 22.
The House companion, sponsored by Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas-13), passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 5. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51) was the Democratic co-lead.
This bill would provide the transparency that Congress needs to ensure that the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is upholding an effective export control system and preventing U.S. adversaries from getting easy access to key defense goods or national security technologies.
“I was honored to join President Trump in the Oval Office [Tuesday] as he signed my first bill as a U.S. Senator into law,” Sen. Banks said. “This law will help keep America safe by ensuring our sensitive technology doesn’t end up in the hands of China to be used against us. I promised Hoosiers I’d hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable, and this is an important first step.”
Key Provisions of the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act require BIS to provide an annual report to Congress on export control licensing, including:
- For every license application, information about the applicant and recipient, a description of the item, the value of the sale, and BIS’ decision whether to approve the license.
- A report on all export control enforcement activities conducted in the past year.
Click here to read the full text of the bill.